Baba Yaga's Stew

This trio of women brew up a pot of bubbling tunes and boiling improvisations, inspired by sounds from all over the world and rooted in American contra dance music. Lucia Thomas, on fiddle, oud, and banjo; Dianna Davis, on accordion, clarinet, and piano; and Janet Cramer on percussion kit. Their repertoire spans from Bulgaria to Peru, Thailand to South Africa. With fiery melodies, savory grooves, and sultry voices these ladies will share stories and songs from afar, celebrating the brilliance of traditional cultures and the passion of creation.

The mission of Baba Yaga's Stew is to research, record, and perform music of many traditional dance genres. They aim to educate audiences of the social context of the songs in order to make traditional music more accessible and to increase curiosity in and connection to the people from those countries.

You can now purchase Baba Yaga's Stew first album! In this album, we invite you for a broom’s ride around the world in 80 minutes! We’ll take stops in Russia, Mexico, Thailand, South Africa and many more while staying true to our roots in American contra dance music!

Stumbling through a dark forest, Lucia heard the wailing of a lone clarinet. It was enchanting - dipping then soaring in a wicked 11/8 time signature….Violin leaping out of its case, Lucia had to fiddle along til she found Dianna, sitting on a log, playing Gankino Horo. They sang and laughed for hours, then decided to make a band. Longing for a drummer to join in their witchcraft, they searched over hills and dales to finally find Janet - an Aussie-born drummer, with vicious chops in blues, jazz, and Cuban Batá. Now the stem was boiling!